Public diplomacy: A comparation of the exemples of Turkey and Germany

There has been compitition among mankind since the existence of the world. States want to dominate other societies. For this reason, military methods-called hard power diplomacy- have been used many times. Although military methods brought short-term solutions, they caused deep losses in the long run. Hard power diplomacy has wounded the conscience of both the citizens of the country and other communities. The Post-Cold War period revealed the need for countries to develop different methods in order to reach their interests over other states. The fact that military methods are expensive and difficult to use, it has led to the creation of the concept of consensual power. From this viewpoint, the concept of soft power was born. The concept of soft power aims to convince societies using different methods. It is a very complex and difficult process as it is a long-term study. Countries try to reach the countries they want to influence, sometimes with their ethnic and religious structures, sometimes with brands that have proven themselves in the international community, and sometimes with direct assistance that they have realized. The countries that realized the soft power diplomacy with the 1950s have established Institutes in many parts of the world aiming to show their cultural elements. In this respect, Germany is the first country to begin its cultural diplomacy activities. public diplomacy activities in terms of Turkey is relatively new. Turkey applied its cultural diplomacy activities in the 1990s to the Turkic Republics, which gained independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the next period, the Balkans, which is the Ottoman balance, started to be emphasized. The German interest in the Balkans dates back to the Otto era. The Balkans are the gateway to the Adriatic and the east, so they are very important to the Germans. In terms of Turkey, the Balkans are seen as the key to the European door. Today, Germany is trying to get results on Balkan geography with organizations such as GIZ and GOETHE. Turkey is actively using TIKA and Yunus Emre Institute. Keywords: Soft power, Cultural Diplomacy, Balkans, Yunus Emre Institute, GOETHE Institute